Some Promises are Meant to be Broken
by steelcrash
Summary: A father breaks a promise in the hope that time itself can be rewritten. Crossover with "Doctor Who."
1. Chapter 1

Some Promises are Meant to be Broken

Chapter 1—Too late for gods

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. They belong to Marvel/Disney. The Doctor belongs to the BBC.

From a prompt on avengerkink: "Canton and Husband adopt baby Phil Coulson and raise him. After Phil is killed by Loki in the Avengers movie

Canton and Husband ask the Doctor to save his life, a la Lake Silencio. Up to you whether there's a pairing involved, or fixed points, or aliens. It's just a springboard, really."

Dusk was falling, giving way to a beautiful fall night, but Canton Everett Delaware III didn't notice. He sat on the deck of his empty house, staring at the cell phone in his hand, thinking. Should he or shouldn't he? He'd made many promises, and he'd kept most of them, including the one he was considering breaking, but circumstances were forcing his hand. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking about it, but losing one's only son tended to do that to a person. Canton and his partner, Michael, had buried their son, Phillip Coulson, only a few days before.

Michael was still reeling from the loss, and their daughter, Sharon, Phillip's older sister, had finally left after spending a few extra days with her parents. She needed to return home to her own family, and Michael had gone back to Seattle with her to see the grandkids. So now, with time alone, too much scotch and memories, Canton was thinking about asking the impossible. So, mustering his courage and throwing his dignity to the wind, he dialed the number he'd sworn never to call again, holding the phone up to his ear, praying for a miracle. And he wasn't disappointed when the voice on the other end of the line answered.

"What is it and who is this? Kind of busy at the moment, so make it quick."

"Doctor, it's me, Canton. We need to talk."

The line went dead, and five minutes later, the TARDIS materialized in his backyard. Fortunately, the nearest neighbor was a mile away, and likely not up as it was so late.

Canton watched from his seat on the deck as the TARDIS' door opened, and the Doctor's lanky form stepped out into the darkness.

"Canton, what do you want?" the Doctor asked.

"I know I promised, but this is too important," Canton said.

"What is?"

"The favor I have to ask," Canton replied.

The doctor frowned, taking a good look at his friend. It had only been a year since he'd seen this version of Canton, but something was off. Canton looked broken; no, he _was_ broken. Shattered. Whatever word he could think of to describe the man sitting in front of him, Canton looked it. Old beyond his years.

"What's happened?" the Doctor said.

"My son died," Canton said.

"I'm sorry, but what has that got to do with me?" the Doctor asked.

"Everything," Canton said, standing. "You're going to rewrite time itself and keep him from dying."

The Doctor sighed. "Canton, I can't do that," he said. "You know. . ."

"I know I helped you when you needed it most, and the least you can do is hear me out," Canton said. "You haven't been here, you don't know what's happening."

"The Chitauri invasion was stopped without my intervention," the Doctor said. "I do keep tabs on what's going on, you know."

"But you don't know everything," Canton said.

"All right, I'll hear you out," the Doctor said, taking a seat across from Canton. "What happened?"

Canton started talking, giving the Doctor all the details he knew, all that SHIELD Director Nick Fury had told him—that Phillip had been part of a program to bring together exceptional individuals to fight threats no one else could. How he'd died facing down the leader of the alien forces, and how his death was used as a focal point to bring together the people Phillip had recruited. And that was the problem, the Doctor reflected. A focal point—Canton's son's death was now a fixed point in time, and he could not change it.

"Canton, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," the Doctor said. "Your son's death is a fixed point in time, and. . ."

"You haven't heard everything yet," Canton said. "Do you know anything about a race called the Asgard?"

"Asgard is one of the realms cut off from this universe," the Doctor said. "It has been since Gallifrey fell. I saw to that."

"An Asgardian named Loki was responsible for the Chitauri invasion," Canton said. "He's the one who killed my son."

"Wait. . .what?"

"You heard me correctly," Canton said. "The Asgardians have found a way to breach the wall between universes."

"That can't be right," the Doctor said. "Asgard is one of the nine realms connected to this planet. . .different realms of existence, but how. . .it should not be possible."

"We humans have bee playing around again with something we shouldn't have," Canton said. "It attracted the Chitauri, and here we are."

"Loki, one of the sons of the Asgardian royal family?" the Doctor asked. "Canton, where are you getting your information?"

"I still have friends and I'm owed a few favors," he said. "Not to mention my son was highly placed in the organization that fended off the Chitauri."

"Why would one of Odin's sons go off on such a tangent?" the Doctor said.

"I don't know," Canton said. "He killed my son. That's all I need to know."

"Canton, you've given me a lot to think about," the Doctor said. "Give me a few days, and I'll see what I can do. . ."

"Then you'll save my son?"

"No promises," the Doctor said, heading toward the TARDIS. "I'll be in touch."

Canton watched the TARDIS close, then disappear into the night, feeling just a little bit more hopeful than he had before.

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Finding the of the person the Doctor wanted to question was easy enough, and pinpointing the location of SHIELD's flying boat was nothing, also, he thought as the TARDIS landed in what he hoped was an empty storage room or something similar. Sticking his head out the door, he saw he was in a storage room, and it wasn't empty—it was full of guns. He'd landed in an armory. Lovely. What was it with Americans and guns? The Doctor sighed, getting out his sonic screwdriver, using it on the lock on the door, letting himself out into an empty corridor. Now all he had to do was find one Nicholas Fury without incident.

He'd memorized the layout of the boat, so locating the man's quarters was easy. The Doctor hoped, considering the time of night, he'd be there, and he'd make his interrogation quick. Except as he was trying to sonic open the door to Fury's quarters, he heard the distinct click of a gun's hammer being cocked.

"You've got until I count to three to convince me not to shoot you."

The Doctor turned around, sonic still in hand.

"Hello, you must be Nicholas Fury. Or do you prefer Nick, or Fury, or Director Fury? Nice eye patch, by the way. Canton didn't tell me about that. . .hmm. . .Loki. . .Odin's missing an eye, you're missing an eye, is there something you'd like to tell me?" the Doctor said, walking over, knocking on Fury's head like he would a door. "You're not really an avatar of Odin, are you, that would explain _a lot_, repressed daddy issues and all. . ."

Fury blinked, putting down the gun.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"A friend of Canton Everett Delaware III," the Doctor said. "You can call me the Doctor."

Fury blinked again, frowning. "What?"

"The Doctor, I'm a friend of Canton's," he said, smiling, offering a hand.

Oh hell no, Fury thought. Not now. He'd heard about this guy from Canton, and his old friend Harkness, and SHIELD had a file on him, but their info was sketchy at best, and UNIT did not play well with others. He was going to have to change that, maybe send Hill to deal with it. Hell, he'd do it first thing in the morning. She was getting on his nerves. Damn, he missed Coulson, Fury thought, putting away his gun.

"What are you doing on my boat?" Fury asked.

"Looking for you actually," the Doctor said.

"Why?" Fury asked, crossing his arms.

"Can we not talk about this in the hall?" the Doctor asked.

"My office will do," Fury said. "I can't sleep anyway. Follow me."

The Doctor let the other man lead the way, following him down several corridors, up more levels on the lift until they were on the bridge. Fury noticed how the other man's face lit up when they hit the bridge. Not a good sign.

"Touch anything and I will shoot you," Fury said.

"Trigger happy, aren't you?" the Doctor said.

"I have reason to be lately," Fury said. "I assume Canton told you about what happened?"

"Chitauri, Loki, New York, Avengers, and Canton's son died by Loki's hand," the Doctor said. "I think that about sums it up."

"Have you met Loki?"

"Once, when he was a boy," the Doctor said. "He reminded me of someone I knew when I was young. . ."

He shuddered. A child of Asgard following in the Master's path, not a pleasant thought.

"May I ask what you're doing here?" Fury said, letting himself into his office.

"As a favor to Canton," the Doctor said.

"What could you possibly do for Canton?" Fury said.

"I can't tell you that right now," the Doctor said. "You're going to have to trust me."

"I trusted Phil Coulson, Canton's son. I trust Canton," Fury said.

"Canton's son gave his life for something bigger than himself," the Doctor said. "But that isn't enough for Canton, he's asked me to do something for him, something I don't if I'll be able to do, but I owe it to him to try. Tell me how Phillip Coulson died."

Fury started talking. He owed it to Coulson and his family, maybe, if nothing, the Doctor would take the truth back to Coulson's family. Why the hell was he spilling to someone he just met? He didn't care. The council and Hill could kiss his ass; the past few days had been hard enough, and what could it hurt, to use it as a chance to clear his conscience. A part of Fury blamed himself for Coulson's death, but he'd made his choice, one that couldn't be taken back. His right hand, his friend, was gone, and nothing could change that.

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At the same time, in a lab overlooking the bridge, the two lone Avengers on the boat talked. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, couldn't sleep, and Bruce Banner welcomed the company. Banner was finishing up a preliminary report on Loki's pointy stick of destiny, as Stark called it. Banner had custody of Loki's scepter, but honestly, he wanted nothing to do with it. His final recommendation in his report was to get rid of the damn thing. He put that exact phrase in the report. It was his personal and professional opinion, and Banner hoped Fury agreed. They needed to get rid of anything tainted by Loki's touch, maybe they could contact Thor and he could do something with the spear?

He'd have to add that to the report, Banner thought, looking over at Rogers, who was absentmindedly thumbing through a stack of cards. Agent Coulson's Captain America cards. Banner had barely met the man, but Coulson had impacted all of the Avengers in the short time they'd been a team. He appreciated that, and understood the grief the others were feeling. The team had had a small memorial service before SHIELD had arranged to ship Coulson's body home for burial. From what he'd heard, the funeral had been a couple of days before. Hell, it had only been eight days since Coulson died, a week since the fight in New York.

"Steve, you should get some rest," Banner said.

"Can't sleep," Rogers said, looking up from the blood-stained cards in his hand.

"You should, I don't know, give those back to Fury," Banner said.

"I tried, he told me to keep them," Rogers said. "As a reminder."

"As a reminder of what, that you're beating yourself up over something you couldn't prevent?" Banner asked. "I'll tell Fury where he can stick. . ."

"Bruce, calm down," Rogers said. "It's all right."

Banner frowned, looking out on the bridge. Fury was walking with someone unfamiliar.

"Speak of the damn devil, and he appears," Banner said, pointing.

"It's been a rough week," Rogers said.

"I don't think Fury sleeps," Banner said. "I bet he sold his soul to the devil or something."

"Bruce,, who needs sleep now?" Rogers said, a faint smile ghosting across his lips.

"Tony would agree with me," Banner said. "You should take him up on his offer. I am."

Rogers snorted. Stark had offered all the Avengers a condo in his new building if they wanted it, mainly for the sake of solidarity. He was considering it, but he needed time.

"I wonder who that is with Fury?" Banner said. "We should go check it out."

"Bruce, let it go," Rogers said.

"You're not the least bit curious?" Banner said, standing, heading out of the lab. Rogers rolled his eyes, pocketing the cards, following the doctor out.

It didn't take them long to catch up with Fury, because he was trying to pry his companion away from a console.

"Hey Nick, who's your friend?" Banner asked, arms crossed, feigning a smile.

"Nobody Banner, go back to the lab and leave me the hell alone," Fury said through gritted teeth. He had the Doctor's arm in a vice-like grip, trying to force him away from the computer he was not supposed to be touching.

"Nicholas, you've been a very naughty boy," the Doctor said, turning around. "You used the Tesseract to make weapons? The Shadow Proclamation is not going to be happy. You're just lucky I'm here to help you clean up the mess you've made."

Then he noticed they weren't alone. "Oh, hello," he said, smiling at the man with the dark hair and purple shirt. "I'm the Doctor, and you are?"

"Doctor Bruce Banner," he said, shaking the Doctor's hand. "This is Steve Rogers."

Rogers flicked his fingers in mock salute.

"Nice to meet you both," the Doctor said. "Let me guess. . .Hulk and Captain America?"  
Banner raised an eyebrow in surprise, Rogers' jaw hit the floor, and Fury looked like he was going to panic. Hard to read with only one eye, but Banner figured he was spot on with the way Fury was trying to drag the strange British man away from them.

"Pleased to meet you both, I'm a big fan, although where's Stark? I'd like to talk science with the two of you, Dr. Banner," the Doctor said.

"Call me Bruce," Banner said. "It'll help cut down on the confusion. Is the 'Doctor' like your secret code name?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered.

"Fury, how much weirder is it going to get?" Rogers asked.

"I honestly don't know," Fury replied.

"If you're lucky, much much stranger," the Doctor said. "So, where's this glowy blue stuck Loki used to command his alien army?"

"Up in my lab," Banner said.

"Really?" the Doctor said, grinning.

"Follow me," Banner said. The Doctor followed, leaving Fury and Rogers alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Some Promises are Meant to be Broken

Chapter 2—Sacrifice theory

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. They belong to Marvel/Disney. The Doctor belongs to the BBC.

From a prompt on avengerkink: "Canton and Husband adopt baby Phil Coulson and raise him. After Phil is killed by Loki in the Avengers movie

Canton and Husband ask the Doctor to save his life, a la Lake Silencio. Up to you whether there's a pairing involved, or fixed points, or aliens. It's just a springboard, really."

"Don't just stand there," Fury said, grabbing Rogers by the arm, dragging him after the two doctors.

"Who is that guy?" Rogers asked, trying to disengage his arm from Fury's grip, but he only dug his fingers in harder.

"A consultant," Fury said.

"Why do we need another consultant?" Rogers said. "We have Banner, Stark, Selvig, Jane Foster. . ."

"This Doctor specializes in weird," Fury said, shoving Rogers inside Banner's lab, where the Doctor was scrutinizing Loki's scepter. He was staring at the relic, with Banner watching. Rogers caught his eye, but Banner only shrugged.

"Can you tell us anything about this thing?" Fury asked.

"Well, to start off, I can tell you it's very angry about the way it's been used," the Doctor said. "And it's powered by a shard of the Tesseract, but it's being influenced by something very old and dangerous. It can't give me a name. Oh, and it wants blood. More blood. It was awakened by the taste of blood. It's killed, but the blood gave it sentience."

He was about to say more, but the looks he was getting from the others made him stop. Fury's jaw was clenched, Rogers' expression was a mixture of sadness and anger and Banner was chewing on his lip.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"Loki murdered Phil Coulson with that thing," Fury said. "And you're telling me his blood made it self-aware?"

"Canton's son was killed by. . .this?" the Doctor said.

"Yes," Fury answered.

"Well, that certainly puts a new spin on things," the Doctor said.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Fury said.

"It means I've got some thinking to do," the Doctor said.

"You make absolutely no sense," Fury said.

"I do if you're listening," the Doctor said. "And you're clearly not. Or your little brain can't comprehend what is going on. Sentient shard of Tesseract is angry and hungry for blood."

"Fury, when he frame it like that, it's pretty easy to understand, right Steve?" Banner said.

"Yeah. So what do we do now?" Rogers said.

"When I figure it out, I'll get back to you," the Doctor said, beginning to pace. "Maybe Canton was right and I can undo this. . ."

"Undo what?" Fury said.

"Will you shut up and let me think?"

"In a minute," Rogers said. "Who is Canton?"

"Agent Coulson's father," Fury said.

"Why didn't you tell us he had family?"

"We've been kind of busy if you haven't noticed," Fury countered.

Rogers took Coulson's Captain America cards from his pocket. "Coulson's family should have these," he said, offering the cards to Fury.

"Cap, hold on to them," Fury said. "When this is all over, you can go to Colorado and give them back yourself."

"I told you all to shut up," the Doctor said, glaring.

"Guys, I'd do as he says," Banner said.

Fury sighed, leaning back against the table holding the staff. He wouldn't admit it, but the damn thing made his skin crawl. He wondered if it was still trying to influence all of them, even though it was separated from the Tesseract. But damn, it was a shard of the cube. What the hell did that mean for all of them? Could they destroy it? All good questions, Fury knew, but it didn't resolve anything. It only meant his life was going to get more complicated and dangerous.

"I don't suppose you have Loki locked up where I can question him?" the Doctor asked, hopeful.

"He's back in Asgard," Fury said.

"I really need to teach you people a lesson about popping between universes," the Doctor said.

"Asgard is one of the nine realms, so I don't think it's a separate universe, is it?" Banner asked.

"Technically, yes and no," the Doctor said. "We'll discuss it later. I need to go talk to Canton and make sure this is what he really wants, because I think that's just the tip off the iceberg."

"What does Canton want?" Fury said.

"That's between me and Canton," the Doctor said, ignoring Fury. "Bruce, you can come along and we'll talk shop. Captain, you can return those cards to Canton, if you'd like."

"Now?" Banner asked.

"Yes, now," the Doctor said.

"But how. . ."

"Bruce, just follow the man," Rogers said, standing up, following the Doctor out of the lab. Banner looked back at Fury, who shrugged.

"Find out what the hell is going on and report back to me," Fury said.

"Uh, sure," Banner said, taking off after Rogers and the Doctor.

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Asgard

Odin Allfather, ruler of Asgard, was, at the moment, not acting as the king of his realm, but rather as a father. A father who was not going to be forced to choose between his sons. He regarded the son before him, who did not know he was there. Loki was bound and gagged, unaware of his presence, locked inside his own mind, currently being forced to relive each and every one of his crimes from the point of view of the victim. It was the punishment Odin had agreed upon, for the moment, but some of the families of Asgard were asking for justice. Real justice, and not wergild. They wanted Thor's blood in exchange for letting Loki live.

But Odin was not going to make the same mistake again. He was not going to sacrifice either of his sons to slake someone else's thirst for revenge. Asgard and Midgard had faced enough death and destruction because of his mistakes, but how could he make reparation to the people of his own realm and Midgard? He was a god, and once, the people of the realms prayed to him, giving him power. Odin was still a god, of sorts, but who was going to hear his prayers?

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The Doctor jimmied the lock on the armory where he'd stashed the TARDIS, not noticing the amused glance exchanged between Rogers and Banner.

"Come along," the Doctor said, gesturing toward the TARDIS.

"That's a phone booth," Rogers said.

"Not a phone booth," the Doctor said as the TARDIS opened for him. "Hurry. We've got things to do."

Banner shoved past Rogers and the Doctor, walking into the TARDIS, and sticking his head out.

"Steve, you wanted stranger, you got it," Banner said. "C'mon. You have to see this."

The Doctor shoved Rogers toward the TARDIS. "Yes, it's bigger on the inside," he said. "I'll explain it all later. Hold on."

A few minutes later, the Doctor was dragging a reluctant Rogers with him while Banner lead the charge out the door. Into a backyard. At sunset.

"What the hell just happened?" Banner asked.

"We traveled through several time zones and a few thousand miles," the Doctor said, shoving Rogers toward Canton's deck, where the old man was waiting.

"Captain, that is Agent Phil Coulson's father," the Doctor said. "I don't think I have to tell you to behave yourself. Banner, on the other hand. . ."

He looked back over his shoulder where Banner was walking around the TARDIS, getting a bit more touch-feely with her than the Doctor would've liked, but he let Banner do his thing. Having another like-minded individual along would be a nice change of pace. So would a well-behaved one.

"Sir," Rogers said.

"Captain Steve Rogers," Canton said. "I'm glad to meet you."

"So am I, sir, but not under these circumstances. You're Phil's father?" Rogers said.

"One of them," Canton said, smiling.

"Oh," Rogers said.

"Son, you'll get used to it eventually," Canton said. "I'm glad to meet you."

"Sir, I have something I need to return," Rogers said.

"Call me Canton, please," he said.

"Here," Rogers said, offering the other man the blood-stained cards.

Canton blinked, realizing what they were, tears running down his face when he saw the blood on the cards.

"Thank you," he said.

Rogers nodded, stepping back.

"Canton, I may be able to do something," the Doctor said. "No promises yet, but there is definitely something afoot. I need a little more time."

"I understand," Canton said. "When you're involved, there's always more than meets the eye. I knew I could count on you."

"Canton," the Doctor warned.

"I know. Don't destroy an old man's hope yet," he said.

"I won't. Banner, Rogers, come along. We have work to do."


	3. Chapter 3

Some Promises are Meant to be Broken

Chapter 3—Strength through wounding

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. They belong to Marvel/Disney. The Doctor belongs to the BBC.

From a prompt on avengerkink: "Canton and Husband adopt baby Phil Coulson and raise him. After Phil is killed by Loki in the Avengers movie

Canton and Husband ask the Doctor to save his life, a la Lake Silencio. Up to you whether there's a pairing involved, or fixed points, or aliens. It's just a springboard, really."

Loki wanted to scream, but he couldn't. There was no fighting the memories he kept experiencing—the pain, terror and death he inflicted. But he would not break. He was strong, and he would not give in. The human, the one Thor called Son of Coul, was wrong. He did have conviction. He had it now, and he resolved to reduce Earth to a burning cinder, no matter the cost. Humanity, the Chitauri, Asgard, it would all burn. . .And then gentle hands were unbinding him, removing the muzzle. How revoltingly sentimental, he thought, figuring his savior was Thor. However, the reality was quite different.

"Father," Loki spat. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your life," Odin said. "Whether you like it or not."

"Trying to clear your own conscience?" Loki said, as his father jerked him to his feet.

"Oh, how I've wronged you, my son," Odin said. "I'd beg your forgiveness, but I know we're beyond that now. I betrayed you, you betrayed me, we've begun a cycle we cannot end. You might not think you're worth saving, but Thor thinks so, and so do I."

"I care not what you think," Loki said.

"Keep trying to convince yourself of that, child," Odin said. "You have one chance, Loki, and I'm giving it to you. You won't remember any of this, and for that, my son, I am sorry, but remember you are loved, and I would do anything for you."

Suddenly, Loki was engulfed in crackling blue light. An instant later, he was no longer in Asgard. Strange, what kind of word was that? And where was he? He looked up, seeing glass and steel stretching into the dark sky. Earth. He was on Earth. He knew that much. But what was he doing there?  
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"So, what do you know of the Chitauri?" the Doctor asked.

Rogers didn't answer, but Banner jumped in. "Not much," he said. "We haven't had much time to do any research yet."

"Nasty race, the Chitauri," the Doctor said. "I don't suppose you know if they've infiltrated SHIELD or any Earth governments, have they?"

Rogers snorted. "I think we'd know if aliens were doing that."

"I highly doubt it," the Doctor said. "The Chitauri can shift forms. Not like true shapeshifters, but only if they eat the brain or body of the human they wish to replace."

"What?" Rogers said.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Banner said. "Then that means anybody could be replaced by one of those things."

"Maybe not," the Doctor said. "I believe this is the first time they've meddled with Earth."

"I think I better call Fury," Banner said, taking his cell phone from his pocket. "You do get cell service on this thing, don't you?"  
"Yes," the Doctor said. "So Loki had a deal going on with the Chitauri. Why would he do that? He was second in line to the throne of Asgard."

"He's adopted," Rogers said.

"Like that means anything," the Doctor said.

"Loki's angry with his father and brother and the whole damn world," Rogers said. "Why does it matter? Coulson is dead, Loki is hopefully facing whatever punishment they have in Asgard, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here."

"Literally or metaphorically?" the Doctor asked.

"Pick one," Rogers said. He was going to say more, but he heard Banner swearing behind him. Unusual. Banner usually didn't talk like that.

"What?" Rogers asked.

"Fury said he just got a call from SHIELD's observatory in Norway—they picked up a faint reading of Tesseract energy in New York less than an hour ago," Banner said. "They've got a team on the way, but don't know anything yet."

"I can have us there in a few seconds," the Doctor said, throwing a few switches. He grinned at the look exchanged between his two new human companions—it never grew old. "Get them to send coordinates to your phone. We can beat them there. Probably best if we do."

Banner gave the request to Fury, and seconds later, the scientist handed his phone to the Doctor.

"This should be easy," he said. "Probably nothing to find."

Yes. Simple. Pop in, take a look around, leave. Go fix things. The TARDIS landed, and he sauntered out the door and nearly into the path of a bullet. Rogers shoved him to the ground, and Banner slammed the TARDIS doors shut behind them.

"What the hell?" Rogers said, hauling the Doctor to his feet and behind cover, which happened to be a trash dumpster.

"These were the coordinates," the Doctor said, trying to twist out of the other man's grip and go toward the shouting.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rogers asked, tightening his hold on the Doctor's arm.

"Let me go," the Doctor said. "I can find out what's going on."

He whipped out his psychic paper, showing it to Rogers.

"That will not work, no one will believe you're a detective," Rogers said.

"Just follow me," the Doctor said, walking out from behind the dumpster, Rogers reluctantly following. And as they approached the nice men with the guns and badges, the Doctor was waving his psychic paper as he approached the nearest NYPD officer.

"Hello, my name is John Smith, and I'm with Scotland Yard, this is my assistant, Captain Rogers, and we have a few questions. . ." the Doctor leaned in close to see the name pinned on the officer's shirt. "Officer Drew."

"Nothing," the policeman answered, pointing back over his shoulder at his patrol car. "Just taking in a guy who says he can't remember anything. He got the jump on my partner, took his gun, and you nearly got your head shot off. End of story. Move along."

"Mind if I take a look at him?" the Doctor said. "I specialize in this kind of thing."

He dragged Rogers along before the cop could say anything, taking a peek at the man in the back seat of the police cruiser, who was currently handcuffed and staring angrily back. And Rogers did a double-take when he saw who it was.

"Son of a bitch," Rogers muttered.

"What?"

"Don't you recognize him?" Rogers said. "That's Loki."


	4. Chapter 4

Some Promises are Meant to be Broken

Chapter 4—Dream of waking

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. They belong to Marvel/Disney. The Doctor belongs to the BBC.

From a prompt on avengerkink: "Canton and Husband adopt baby Phil Coulson and raise him. After Phil is killed by Loki in the Avengers movie

Canton and Husband ask the Doctor to save his life, a la Lake Silencio. Up to you whether there's a pairing involved, or fixed points, or aliens. It's just a springboard, really."

The Doctor got out his sonic, used it on the cruiser's door.

"Captain Rogers, you're in charge of Loki," he said. "Get him out of the car and follow me."

Rogers didn't have time to say anything, he did as he was told, pulling Loki from the car and onto his feet, thanking God he was handcuffed.

"Do you know me?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Rogers said. "Keep your mouth shut or you will regret it."

"What is my name?"

"Loki," Rogers answered.

"That's a strange sort of name," Loki said.

"You're not exactly normal," Rogers snapped, looking for the Doctor.

"Run!" he yelled, and the bullets started flying. And Rogers, he was going to damn himself for it later, but he shielded Loki, taking a bullet in the shoulder, then half-dragged, half-carried him toward the TARDIS. Once inside, he dumped Loki in the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Banner asked, then he noticed Loki. "What is he doing here?'

"I have no idea," Rogers said, holding his injured shoulder.

"Want me to take a look at that?" Banner said.

"It'll heal," Rogers said. "Loki, what were you doing in that alley?"

"I don't know," Loki said. "I don't remember anything before that moment."

The Doctor listened to the exchange, to busy trying to get the TARDIS away and someplace safe so he could sort everything out. Loki showing up the way he had—coincidence or something else? The Doctor knew he was telling the truth about not remembering—he could sense Loki was different, stripped of his powers but not completely without protection. And now the conversation was taking a turn for the worse.

"We have to contact Fury," Banner said.

"What then?" Rogers said. "We turn Loki over and he faces our brand of justice? What good will that do when he says he doesn't remember anything?"

"He's telling the truth," the Doctor said. "His memory has been wiped and his powers are bound. He's not much of a threat right now. I think as long as we keep him away from the scepter we won't have a problem. Speaking of the scepter, Bruce, how secure is that lab of yours?"

"It's safe enough for now, I guess," Banner said.

"Good," the Doctor said. "The Tesseract is sentient. The shard contained in the scepter is essentially her child, made self-aware much too soon. The cubes are powerful, and I thought most of them were lost or locked away. I was wrong."

"There are more of those things out there?" Banner asked.

"Yes, but I don't know how many," the Doctor said. "My people tended to steer clear of them when we could, or we tried to keep them out of the wrong hands. Not an easy task. Most races weren't aware of what they were dealing with and ended up destroying themselves and their cube in the process."

Something Time Lords feared, well, not really feared, but gave a healthy respect. . .maybe fear was the right word. Caution? No. Fear worked. The cubes like the Tesseract were ancient, and far beyond the understanding of even the inhabitants of Gallifrey, so they dealt with them only when they had to. Usually they were left cleaning up the aftermath. The Doctor wasn't going to tell the two humans with him just how lucky they were. Maybe they knew, but he knew his two companions were not people to take anything for granted, given their circumstances.

Then there was Loki. What was he going to do with him? Loki was bound by Asgardian magic. Science he could deal with, but this. . .the universe was definitely misbehaving. Oh, wait, he could fix that maybe once he found out who was trying to use a cosmic cube for their own purposes. They were going to have a little sit-down once he found out their identity. However, possibly it would not come to that. Maybe he could just fix things like Canton wanted, and it would take care of everything. It wasn't going to come down to the death of one man making that much of a difference, was it? If so, someone had some serious explaining to do.

88888

Clint Barton woke, dressed quickly, heeding the call that hadn't quite left him, no matter what his friends and colleagues thought. The link between himself and the scepter was still there, and it was calling him, and he could not deny it. He walked down several corridors until he was at Banner's lab, entering. Closing the distance between himself and the scepter, he picked it up and seconds later, disappeared in a flash of blue light.


	5. Chapter 5

Some Promises are Meant to be Broken

Chapter 5—Lost souls

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. They belong to Marvel/Disney. The Doctor belongs to the BBC.

The Doctor needed time to think; Rogers was arguing with Banner and and Loki was staring at him, looking confused. Perfect. All they needed was the other doctor's alter ego making an appearance. The TARDIS could contain him, but it was a scenario the Doctor did not want to deal with. They all needed a time out. The Doctor made a decision, flipping a few switches, and the TARDIS landed.

Canton's house. Yes, a brilliant idea. Oh wait. Not so brilliant, the Doctor noted as he opened the door to the TARDIS, stepping out into Canton's back yard.

"What now?" Canton called as the Doctor stepped up on to the deck.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Banner asked, dragging Rogers along with him, Loki trailing behind them.

"Inside," Canton said. "Follow me."

"I have excellent medical facilities on the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

"I just need to clean up Steve's wound," Banner said. "That's all. Super soldier and all that."

"Oh yes," the Doctor said, sitting down on a step. "How could I forget?"  
Loki sat down beside him. "How are we here?"

"My TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Don't go getting any ideas."

"None of this makes any sense," Loki said.

"Just go with it, Loki," the Doctor said. "It's easier in the long run."

"Who are you?"  
"I told you—John Smith," he said.

"That's what you're calling yourself these days? Still?" Canton asked, coming back outside. He stared at Loki, his expression unreadable.

"Canton. . ."

Suddenly the Doctor found himself yanked to his feat and dragged inside the house.

"How could you bring him here?" Canton asked. "He killed my son."

"Canton, he doesn't remember," the Doctor said.

"Convenient, isn't it?" Canton countered.

"Loki was being used," the Doctor said. "I'm certain of it."

"Certain enough to do what I asked?"

"Yes."

Canton closed his eyes, sighing. "Thank you." Then he looked back outside, where Loki was looking back over his shoulder at them. Loki looked lost. Hollow. Canton knew how that felt.

"Go check on Banner and Rogers," Canton said. "Banner was yelling at someone on his cell phone."

"I don't suppose you caught what it was about?"  
"Fury," Canton said.

"Great," the Doctor said, heading deeper into the house after Banner. Canton went to the kitchen, poured two cups of coffee and went back outside. Sitting down beside Loki, he offered the younger man one of the mugs.

"You have unusual friends," Loki said.

"You have no idea," Canton said, a smile playing across his lips.

"What's your name?" Loki asked.

"Canton."

"It's beautiful here," Loki said. "Where are we?"  
"Colorado," Canton said. "In the San Juan Mountains, near Durango."

"Oh," Loki said, staring off into the distance.

Canton sighed again. Loki looked so very lost. He'd read some of Loki's information after Phillip's death, pulling in a few favors to find out what he could about the being that killed his son. He'd thought about what he would say or do, given the chance to confront the Asgardian, but now he had the opportunity, he didn't know what to say. For someone who was supposed to be a god, Loki looked fragile and confused. He'd been thrown away by those who were supposed to care the most. Who would do that to their own child?

A part of Canton knew Loki's behavior was a form of lashing out like a spoiled child, but it didn't change the fact he'd killed his son and others. If the Doctor could fix things, what would that mean for Loki? Could he be redeemed? Was it even worth trying? Maybe, Canton figured. If anyone could do it, it was the Doctor.

88888

Nicholas Fury was beyond angry. Clint Barton was gone, and so was Loki's scepter. Round two was getting ready to start, and what was left of his Avengers were scattered to the four winds. Well, Banner and Rogers were together, with the crazy man with the blue box, and he was currently trying to convince Banner to get his ass back to the helicarrier or else. Except the doctor wasn't listening, he was trying to offer him a dissertation on the wondrous blue box, but at the moment, Fury did not give a damn, and tried to tell Banner that.

Hill was standing behind him, in the corridor outside Banner's lab, trying to catch his attention, and yes, he knew the council was online, wanting to talk with him about this latest development regarding the disappearance of the scepter, and they could wait. He ended the call with Banner, turning around, glaring at Hill.

"Sir, the council is waiting," she said.

"Tell them I've got more important things to deal with," he said.

"But. . ."

"Hill, just do it," Fury said, growing more annoyed by the minute. Hill always second-guessed him, and the whole damn situation was making him miss Coulson even more. Fury closed his eyes for a second, then opened them, getting a grip. He wasn't supposed to have any attachments, but Coulson was one of the few he'd developed over the years, his good eye, and right hand. How was he supposed to get over losing that? Hill was good, but she wasn't Coulson.

Fury stepped out of the lab, letting the forensic techs inside to do their job. He headed back to the bridge, tapped Jasper Sitwell on the shoulder.

"Find Barton," Fury said.

Sitwell nodded, and Fury walked away.


End file.
